


Echoes

by elietrope



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Autistic Damian Wayne, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, damian has a shutdown, dick helps out, its all good now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 06:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21049913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elietrope/pseuds/elietrope
Summary: Damian’s never gotten used to the noise.





	Echoes

**Author's Note:**

> hi im autistic and i have a lot of feelings about damian being autistic too! so much so that i wrote a fanfic even though ive never written one ever! its maybe not the best because like i said, first fic ever, but thats never stopped me before

It started with the noise.

Damian was never one for crowds. In the league, he spent most of his time away from other people. His schedule was designed that way on purpose. Most days, he would only see his private tutors and the handful of servants that lingered around his quarters. 

And the days were quiet.

It was one of the few things that he never got used to when he came to Gotham. His father’s family is large, and when they were all gathered, their conversations began to layer and merge until it all sounded like static. 

Normally, the discreet earplugs Damian wore would filter the sound of everyone’s inane chatter out for him, but they were missing from his nightstand this morning. He had a sneaking suspicion a certain cat decided they were a toy while he was sleeping. 

No matter the reason, they were gone. And everyone was loud.

It had been a busy night, with a new gang spreading across the city and striking banks simultaneously. They probably thought at least a few of their members would be able to escape. Idiots. The fools had clearly miscalculated just how many bats lived in Gotham.

Damian pulled his hood up and slumped further into his seat as his gaze trailed across the cave. 

_And every single one of those bats is in here now_, he groaned internally.

He was sitting at the table in the middle of the cave they use for large mission debriefs. Everyone else had gone off to their separate corners of the room, though. Richard, Father, and Gordon were at the computer, discussing the entry for the new gang. Thomas, Brown, and Cassandra were by the lockers getting changed, and it looked like Todd and Drake were cleaning their weapons. Damian was the only one still at the table.

He would like to get up too. He’s tired, and he still needed to let Titus out for the night. 

But. the noise. 

Its too loud.

He cant focus.

The hood get tugged down over his face, as far as Damian can pull it without choking himself with the collar of his cloak. His cloak, its normally comforting weight now feeling like walls pressing in on him from all sides. 

Damian breathed in and exhaled deeply, tried to calm himself down.

He was stronger than this, stronger than some  _ noise _ , Mother would be so disappointed to see him in this state over something so trivial. 

But the breathing isn’t working and there’s still  _ so much _ sound stabbing at his ears that it took all his effort to look around and make sure nobody was watching him before sliding under the table, leaving his heavy cloak on the chair as he dropped down.

The great Damian Wayne, reduced to curling up under a table because people are talking too loud. It’s laughable. He’s acting like a  _ child _ ! 

And he wanted to stop, to get up and go upstairs, he wanted to go so badly, but all he can do is press his hands to his ears and shut his eyes as tight as possible and hope it goes away soon.

Which is why he didn’t notice anyone approaching the table until he felt a hand gently squeeze his shoulder.

Cracking one eye open, Damian saw a fuzzy blue and black figure crouched down next to the chair in front of him. When did Richard get here? How did he even notice Damian was down here?

Richard’s hand left his shoulder, only to tug lightly at the hand Damian still had pressed against his ear. Damian shook him off and covered his ear again, but tried to focus on what he figured is most likely Richard’s voice anyways.

“—mian? Dames, what’s going on, kiddo? Are you hurt? Do I need to get Alfred?”

Damian shakes his head violently. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, ready to say that its too loud and everyone needs to shut up, but words were failing him. Instead, he pulled his hands away from his ears and put them in front of him, one on top of the other, palms down. Damian raised the hand on top up, then pointed at his ear and shook his hands.

_ Too loud _ .

He slapped his hands back to where they were, and only opened his eyes long enough to check that Richard saw the sign before squeezing them shut again.

It sounded like Richard was talking again, but Damian wasn’t paying attention to deciphering words anymore. He didn’t have the energy for that.

They sat there under the table for what feels like ages, Richard rubbing soft circles on Damian’s back. It helped. Its something that he can focus on, something physical. All too soon though, the rubbing stopped and there’s tugging on his hands again. 

And then something heavy is placed over his ears.

Damian recognized the feeling of the earmuffs immediately, having worn them in training plenty of times before. They’re not as comfortable as his earplugs, but they provided adequate relief from the constant static stabbing at him nevertheless.He sighed out a breath he didn’t realize he was still holding.

Opening his eyes, he didn’t... quite meet Richard’s concerned gaze, eye contact is still too much right now, but Damian nodded in what he hoped came off as appreciation anyways.

“I’m going to pick you up now, okay?” Any other time, Damian would be annoyed at being spoken to like some sort of child. But the usual post-patrol weariness had grown into full-blown exhaustion and he was too tired to care at this point. Richard must have taken his silence as acceptance, because soon there are armswrapped around him and he’s being lifted from his hiding spot.

Peering over Richard’s shoulder, Damian noticed the cave was a lot emptier now. Father is watching them from his spot in front of the monitors, a look on his face that Damian can’t really decipher.

Damian curled up slightly, trying to look in any other direction to avoid his father’s gaze. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” Richard paused for a split second, and Damian felt himself being shifted before they started up the stairs.

“I... I shouldn’t have overreacted like that. To let something as insignificant as noise affect me so much was unbecoming.” Damian mumbled into the shoulder his face is pressed against.

“Damian, you didn’t do anything wrong. The echoing in the cave is awful, and it’s been months since so many people were down there at the same time. I’m surprised nobody even noticed how loud it was getting with all of us there.” They reached the top step and turned down the hallway to Damian’s room. “I’m the one who should be sorry. I didn’t even realize you were still downstairs until I saw your cloak on the chair.”

There’s the squeak of a hinge on Damian’s door, signaling they’re at his room now, but Damian doesn’t let go, even as Richard sat them both down on the bed.

“Do you think Father is mad?”

Damian felt Richard pull back a little. “Why would Bruce be  mad ?”

“He was... looking at me. When we were leaving. I couldn’t tell. But he looked like he might be angry.” Damian let go of his grip on Richard’s suit.  _Pennyworth is going to be annoyed that we have uniforms in the manor again_, Damian thought distantly.

He meant to get up, to get ready for bed, but he’s exhausted enough that he simply sags onto Richard’s lap instead. Damian can be embarrassed about it later. He’s too tired to care now.

“No- Dames, no. He.. wasn’t mad at you. If anything, he’s mad at himself. You know, he has trouble with too much noise too?” Richard tugged the gauntlets off of Damian’s wrists. Damian watched him work.

“He doesn’t look it.”

“That’s because he’s had a lot of time to work on hiding it. Doesn’t mean he won’t shut down too sometimes. He was probably more worried about you than anything.” The utility belt comes off next, and then the clasps of his tunic are undone and the red fabric is shrugged off.

Damian untied his boots himself, kicking his kneepads off with them so that he’s left only in his black bodysuit. “I don’t see why. I’m fine now.”

“You were hiding under a table, I think anyone would be a little concerned about that. Is it alright if I take these off now?” Richard asked, pointing at the earmuffs.

Damian nodded. Even though he knew his room was quiet, he was still relieved at the silence that lingered after his ears were uncovered. “I think Alfred stole my earplugs.”

“Cats will do that. I’ll check for spares when I drop these off.” Richard chuckled, patting the pile of equipment sitting next to him. Gently, he slid Damian off his lap and onto the bed. “Covers on or off?”

“Wait, not yet!” Damian protested, making his way to stand up. “I need to take Titus out.” Titus  _ always _ gets let out after patrol. It’s important, he needs to let the dog know he got home safely. A worried dog would only serve to annoy the rest of the household. That was his reasoning if anyone asked, at least.

But Richard was having none of it. One hand on Damian’s shoulder and the other clutching the discarded tunic and the rest of his uniform, he guided Damian back on top of the blankets. “I know, but you’re practically dead on your feet. You need some sleep, Dames. I’ll let him out before I go to bed, don’t worry.”

“But-“

“But nothing, I’ve got this. I’ll even leave your door open a crack so he can come here when we’re done, if you want. Now, covers on or off?” 

Damian flopped onto his pillow in a huff. “Off, I’m not some child that needs to be tucked in.” And they’re too heavy right now. He would just kick them off anyways. “You can leave the door open. Titus won’t sleep anywhere else, after all.”

“True, he’d spend the whole night out in the hallway looking pitiful. And we can’t have that.” Damian grumbled as Richard ruffled his hair. “Get some rest, alright? We can work on some soundproofing in the cave tomorrow. Bruce’ll probably agree to it too.”

“That’s acceptable. Goodnight, Richard. And... thank you. For earlier.”

“Anytime, kiddo.”

**Author's Note:**

> okay so!! some notes. 
> 
> first of all, the signs damian was making were essentially what it says there, tho my asl is rusty and also its really hard to describe signing! i figure most all of the bats know asl, its a handy language to have under your belt.
> 
> i hc bruce as autistic too, its why batman is so good at what he does
> 
> talia appreciated that and would encourage those traits in damian, while suppressing the traits she didnt like (intense focus is good, but stimming? not so much). hes still dealin with that.
> 
> damians days in the league were scheduled practically to the minute, which was totally fine with him. living in gotham meant the first time hes lived without that kind of structure, so he took it upon himself to make his own routines that he sticks to strictly. if he wasnt so tired he wouldve argued more for taking titus out himself, he normally cant sleep without doing that first
> 
> the batfam for the most part doesnt know hes autistic. they just assume he acts the way he does because of the league and leave it at that. bruce has his suspicions, but thats all they are
> 
> uhhh yeah! thanks for reading!


End file.
